RAHIM YAR KHAN: Punjab Secretary for Environment Protection and Climate Change Department Raja Jahangir Anwar says the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) is vigilant to address pollution issues, ranging from air quality to water contamination. In response to allegations levelled by PPP MPA Mumtaz Chang on the floor of the assembly recently regarding untreated wastewater discharge by several industrial units, he said the Fatima Fertiliser and Fauji Fertiliser are compliant with Punjab Environmental Quality Standards (PEQS) as per the latest lab report (Oct 16, 2024). “The next monitoring visit is scheduled for December 2024,” he said. According to him, both sugar mills of JDW are compliant with PEQS. Follow-up monitoring visits are planned for next month. He said Hamza Sugar Mill, Rahim Yar Khan Sugar Mills and Ittehad Sugar Mills are non-compliant in lab reports. Hearing notices have been issued, with hearing scheduled between Dec 4 and 7 next. He said Chaudhry Sugar Mills operations started just a week ago and its wastewater samples were obtained on Nov 28, with results expected in two days. He said an Environment Protection Order (EPO) was issued to United Ethanol (distillery unit) on Nov 26 with a direction to comply with PEQS by Dec 26. The secretary said the Rahim Yar Khan Distillery Unit was also found non-compliant in lab reports. A hearing notice has been issued for Dec 7. Raja Jahangir said the department takes such issues seriously and reaffirms its commitment to enforcing environmental regulations to safeguard public health and ecological integrity. “To enhance enforcement, the department has deployed special vigilance teams to conduct sting operations in high-risk areas. In an effort to engage public, the department has launched a dedicated helpline 1373 to report environmental violations. We encourage public to report not only environmental crimes but also any concern regarding the conduct of inspection squads,” the secretary concluded.